11 iOS 8 Features Apple Should Steal from iOS 7 Cydia Tweaks

On June 2nd Apple will announce iOS 8, and show off the newest version of iPhone and iPad software. If this announcement is anything like previous years we will see Apple add a collection of features that third=party apps and jailbreak tweaks used to fill the need for.

Using the iOS 7 jailbreak users can customize the iPhone and iPad experience to suite their needs and add-on easier access to things they enjoy using. There are an overwhelming number of exciting and useful iOS 7 Cydia tweaks that deliver some of the best Android features, give users more power over the iPhone and offer a better overall user experience.

Last year the big redesign of iOS 7 borrowed from a long list of jailbreak tweaks including a live clock icon, new app switcher, the Control Center, better folder support, gestures, Notification Center on the lock screen and many more.

Although Apple won’t readily admit it, new iPhone and iPad features often come from jailbreak tweaks and with the iOS 8 launch coming on June 2nd, here is a list of iOS 8 features we would love to see Apple steal from Cydia. The ability to jailbreak and install a new iPhone experience is great, but it means waiting for big updates and many users simply don’t want to go through the process.

The iOS 8 release won’t likely arrive until fall, but we could see an iOS 8 beta as early as Monday afternoon that allows ambitious users to try out any new iOS 8 features early.

Faster Browsing in Chrome & Apps

Apple locks Chrome out from using the Nitro Javascript Engine that makes Safari run so fast on the iPhone and iPad. There is an iOS 7 jailbreak tweak called Nitrous that speeds up browsing in other browsers to deliver a better user experience.

It would be great to see Apple speed up other browsers with iOS 8.

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This is essential for users that want to use Chrome, but it also a great tweak for speeding up browsing inside an app like Twitter or Facebook.

Apple may not open up the Nitro Javascript Engine to iOS 8 apps like Chrome, TweetBot, Facebook and to web pages saved to the home screen in order to keep mobile Safari more secure.

There are already apps like SwiftKey Note that lets users use a new keyboard in one app, but an actual keyboard chooser is what we want to see in iOS 8.

iOS Themes for iOS 8

Using iOS 7 themes is an easy way to customize a jailbroken iPhone 5s using Winterboard. Apple does not let users customize the look of the iPhone without a jailbreak, but it would be nice to see them loosen up the control a little through some themes.

Though unlikely, it would be great to see some iOS themes with iOS 8.

The HTC One M8 and Sense 6 allow users to pick from a few default themes and while it is not as much choice as a user can get with a jailbreak it is more than Apple currently offers.

We looked at a number of Cydia themes for Winterboard earlier this year that deliver a completely new look to the iPhone or iPad, and it would be incredible to see even some of these looks and options in iOS 8.

Smarter Display Brightness

It would be incredible if iOS 8 let users adjust the brightness and tone of the display to fit the room and the time of day. Even with auto brightness on the iPhone display is often too bright and too harsh for use at night without it keeping users awake long after they turn it off.

Apple could add an iOS 8 feature that makes the display better suited for viewing at night.

F.lux is a jailbreak tweak that changes the temperature of the light and the iPhone or iPad screen automatically so that it easier to look at later in the day and at night.

This controls the hardware of the iPhone, but it would not need to be exclusive to the new iPhone 6 we expect this fall as it is already working on the iPhone and iPad.

iPad Multitasking

One of the most recent iOS 7 Cydia tweaks to add excitement to the iPad is OS Experience. This allows users to run two apps on the iPad side-by-side. This is a feature that Samsung offers on most of the company’s tablets and smartphones, but Apple does not allow this.

In the video above you can see what this could look like. There is a rumor that Apple will add a multi-window mode to the iPad with iOS 8, but the latest rumor suggest it will not be ready to show off at WWDC 2014.

iPad Multiple Users or Guest Mode

Speaking of the iPad, it is a device that we share more often than a smartphone and although Apple would prefer everyone in the house owns an iPad it’s time for iOS 8 to support multiple users and a guest mode for when you need to hand it off to a visitor.

GuestMode lets users set restrictions to apps and other areas of the iPad or iPhone as an iOS 7 Cydia tweak. This lets you share a device without worrying what the other person will get into.

Android offers multi-user accounts on tablets and this would be a great addition for Apple to stack on to iOS 8. Plus, it could help make iOS 8 more kid friendly.

Make it Easy to Know if Shift is On

The shift key in iOS 7 is a pain and for many users figuring out if it is on or off is a continual battle of trial and error. The ShowCase iOS 7 Cydia tweak changes the keys to lower case when shift is off.

In iOS 8 we hope Apple makes it easier to know if the shift key is on.

With this small change the iOS 8 keyboard would quickly become more user-friendly. If Apple doesn’t deliver third-party keyboards this would be a good iOS 8 feature to add instead.

Widgets for iOS 8

Apple embraces live icons to a degree, but small tasteful widgets would be a nice addition to iOS 8. Mini Player and ProWidgets are two iOS 7 Cydia tweaks that make it easier to access information through a widget or a pop up widget.

MiniPlayer is a small music control widget that sits on the home screen so there is no need to use the Control Center or the lock screen to control your music. ProWidgets allows users to pull down on an icon to see a widget with quick access to information.

It would be great to see weather, music or other information on the iPhone and iPad with widgets in iOS 8.

Set Default Apps

The iPhone and iPad are designed to work with loads of apps, but if you want ot live outside of Apple’s apps you have to put up with a lot of copying and pasting and manually selecting apps.

BrowserChanger lets users pick a new browser, like Chrome, to be the default. This simple trick is awesome for users that prefer to use Chrome.

It would be even better if Apple took this a step further to let users pick other relevant apps instead of Apple’s default ones in iOS 8.

Work Better with the Mac

Data syncs from the iPhone to the Mac pretty easily, but there is no real way to take a call on the Mac or to unlock your Mac with Touch ID on the iPhone 5s.

Unlock ID lets users unlock their mac by pressing on the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone and can also fill in passwords on your computer with Touch ID. As the video shows, this is very cool.

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It would also be great if Apple added the ability to get your notifications and phone calls on your Mac. With iMessage and FaceTime some of this is possible but Apple could use Notifyr and Dialogue like services to complete the loop.

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